Spring filled mattress or cushion



June 15, 1937.

J. w. BOWERSOX SPRING FILLED MATTRESS OR CUSHION Original Filed ,Sept. 1, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 g W H n l U u u MW U H em June 15, 1937.

J. w. BowERsox 2,083,555

SPRING FILLED MATTRESS OR CUSHION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Sept. 1, 1933 Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPRING FILLED MATTRESS R CUSHION Joseph W. Bowersox, Kansas City, Mo., assignor to Superior Felt'and Bedding Company, a corporation of Illinois 7 Claims.

One of the objects of the present invention is so to improve mattresses or other similar cushions, containing spring cores, that they will not get out of shape in use, but will at all times retain flat, straight side or edge walls and definite-- ly outlined corners around the top and bottom.

A further object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel mattress of the spring core type provided with effective corner 10 rolls or pads attached to the spring core and to the enclosing structure so as securely to tie them together.

A further object of the present invention is so to construct a spring filled mattress or other cushion, in which the spring structure has border wire surrounding it at the top and at the bottom, that the border wire will be effectively padded.

A further object of the present invention is to simplify and improve the construction and manner of assembling spring filled mattresses or other cushions.

v The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,

for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mattress or other cushion embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a corner of a mattress or cushion, on a much larger scale than Fig. 1, the top of which is broken away to show the various layers; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a section of a fragment of the side wall strip or boxing; and Figs.

5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 2 and 3, showing a modification.

In the drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied to a mattress for a bed or the like, and the detailed description will be confined to this embodiment. It will, of course, be understood that mattresses are not the only cushions to which the'invention is applicable and, therefore, when I refer to a mattress I intend to include cushioning structures intended or suitable for other purposes.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, l represents a thick, fiat spring core of any usual or suitable construction. In the arrangement shown, the core has around the top and the bottom a border wire 2 that takes the form of a helical spring of small diameter. This core structure, as is customary, is enclosed within a casing structure containing a suflicient thickness of cushioning material on top of and underneath the core. In accordance with my invention, the casing structure contains in the corners that run along the edges of the top and of the bottom novel pad devices which are fastened both to the core and to the casing; thereby tying the casing structure to the core at the corners of the mattress and insuring that the mattress will hold its shape and, further, making it certain that the border wires of the spring core will not work through the cushioning material.

What may be termed the sheathing or covering layer for the casing structure is preferably made in three sections, one of the sections constituting the side or edge wall and the other two sections forming the top and bottom walls or sheets. These three sections are applied to the core independently of each other and are then secured together along the top and bottom edges of the mattress. In the arrangement shown, the sheathing element 3 along the sides or edges of the mattress forms part of a boxing of which an inner wall or lining 4 and a layer of felt 5 interposed between the elements 3 .and 4 form the other parts. This composite structure may be quilted, or not,'as desired. The top and bottom sheets 6 and 1 meet the sheet or strip 3 along the top and bottom corners of the mattress and are fastened thereto in any suitable way, conveniently by taping the meeting marginal portions of the elements 3 and 6. as indicated at 8. Between the core and each of the top and bottom sheets 6 and 1, is a deep layer 9 of felt or other cushioning material between which and the spring structure there will usually be interposed a piece of fabric l0.

In accordance with the present invention, I envelop the border wires of the core structure in firm pads so secured that the border wires must remain housed therein during the use of the mattress, the pads being also secured to the casing or housing. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the pads are attached to the boxing or side wall structure of the casing, preferably before the boxing is applied to the core. Each of these pads may conveniently take the form of a long, fiat sausage-like element consisting of a tubular fabric ll stuffed with felt I! or other material. The pads are folded along their longitudinal center lines and are then secured to the boxing, parallel and near the long edges of the latter, by lines of stitching I3 extending through the doubled pads and through the boxing. The pad at the top of the boxing is so placed wires to enter between the corresponding flaps or wings l4 and P3 of the corresponding pads. The long, free edges of the flaps or wings l4 and I5 of each pad are then fastened together in any suitable manner as, for example, by means of wire clips IS. The part-of each pad from the central fold to the stitching by which it is secured to the boxing is drawn into such position that it engages with the flap or wing l5, overlying or underlying the adjacent border wire, as the case may be, when the covering or sheathing is drawn taut; thus providing a more or less rope-like or cylindrical pad element H extending along each upper and lower corner of the mattress and performing the functions of the ordinary edge roll.

It will thus be seen that the border wires are effectively cushioned by firm padding which cannot become displaced, which padding serves also to give and maintain shape to the corners of the completed mattress and to support and secure the casing portion of the mattress so that the sides of the mattress will always remain flat and straight.

While it is preferable that the pad units be attached to the boxing before the latter is applied to the core, it will, of course, be understood that the padding could be fastened to the border wires and be then stitched or otherwise secured to the side wall structure of the casing, if desired.

In Figs. 5 and 6, there is shown a construction which is like that of Figs. 1 to 4, excepting only that there is a greater amount of padding employed and the pads are connected to the top and bottom sheets instead of to the sides or boxing. Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the elements I to H! are or may be the same as the corresponding elements heretofore described. There are also pad devices which, in their flattened form, are similar to the flattened pads in the other structure. In addition, I may also employ two sausage-like pad elements of considerable diameter, which serve to produce definite edge rolls visible from the top and bottom of the mattress. The pad-like element shown in the upper left-hand corner in Fig. 6 is composed of a casing 20 filled with cushioning material 2l, whereas the pad appearing in the lower left-hand corner is shown as being formed simply of the cushioning material, without being provided with a sheathing or casing. Each of these edge roll elements is secured to the top and bottom covering sheet, as the case may be, by laying it between that sheet and one of the fiat pads. Each cover sheet and its two pads are then united by two rows of stitching 22 and 23, one lying on each side of the cylindrical pad element. Consequently, the base ends of the flaps or wings 24 and 25, corresponding to the flaps or wings I4 and I5, are spaced apart from each other a distance' somewhat greater than the diameter of the cylindrical pad member, and the part-21, which corresponds to the part H in the other form, takes the shape of a semi-cylindrical trough fitted over the cylindrical pad element. The wings 24 and 25 are brought together, at their free long edges, with the border wires interposed between them, and are then secured to each other by wire clips l6, or otherwise. In assembling the parts of this mattress, the top and bottom sections of the casing are applied. The boxing or side wall structure is then wrapped around the core and joined to the, top and bottom cover sheets, as in the other form.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims. Thus, for example, the cores of the mattresses need not have border wires, and the corner pads may be secured to any other convenient portions of the core structures, whether there be border wires present or not.

I claim:

1. The combination with a spring filled cushion comprising a spring core including springs connected together by a border wire around the top, and an enclosing casing structure for said core, of a long rope-like pad extending along the outer side of the border wire, said pad having padded wing sections extending therefrom inwardly past opposite sides of said wire, and means securing said wing sections together on the inner side of the wire to form an envelope for the wire.

2. The combination with a spring filled cushion comprising a spring core including springs connected together by a border wire around the top, and an enclosing casing structure for the core, of a long narrow pad folded'upon a longitudinal line, the folded pad being engaged with the side wall of the casing with the line of the fold at the top and being stitched to said wall along a. longitudinal line whereby the lower part of the folded pad remains in the form of two wings, said wings extending inwardly past opposite sides of said border wire and being secured together inwardly of said wire.

3. The combination with a spring filled cushion comprising a spring core including springs connected by a border wire around the top, and a casing structure enclosing the core, of a long narrow rope-like pad structure extending along said border wire within the adjacent angle of the casing to form a corner stiffening for the latter, said pad having padded wing sections extending inwardly past opposite sides of said border wire, and means securing said wing sections together on the inner side of the wire so as to sheathe the same.

4. The combination with a spring filled cushion comprising a spring core including springs connected by a border wire around the top and a padded casing structure enclosing the core, of a long rope-like pad extending along said border wire within the adjacent angle of the casing to form a corner stiffening for the latter, the pad having padded wings extending inwardly past opposite sides of said border wire, means securing the free ends of the wings together on the inner side of said wire so as to sheathe the latter, and means securing said pad to the top member of the casing.

5. The combination with a spring filled cushion comprising a spring core including springs connected by a border wire around the top and a padded casing structure enclosing the core, of a long rope-like pad extending along said border wire within the adjacent angle of the casing to form a corner stiffening for the latter, the pad having padded wings extending inwardly past opposite sides of said border wire, means securing the free ends of the wings together on the inner side of said wire so as to sheathe the latter, and means securing said pad to the side wall of the casing along a line between the rope-like pad proper and the wings.

6. The combination with a spring filled cushion comprising a spring core and an enclosing casing for the core, of a long, thick, narrow pad underlying the top wall of the casing and extending along the same near the corner between the top and side walls, a member underlying the said pad and stitched to the top wall of the casing near to and on opposite sides of the pad to form with the casing a tubular container for the pad, and means securing said member to the spring core.

7. The combination with a spring filled cushion comprising a spring core having a border wire around the top and an enclosing casing for the core, of a long, thick, narrow pad underlying the top wall of the casing and extending along the same near the corner between the top and side walls, a second, wider pad underlying the aforesaid pad and fastened to the top wall of the casing adjacent to and on opposite sides of the first pad, the side marginal portions of the said second pad extending downwardly past opposite sides of said border wire, and means securing the said marginal portions of the second pad together.

JOSEPH W. BOWERSOX. 

